College Board

AP Research is a rigorous course, but it is a great opportunity to learn skills for post-high school.

As students begin selecting courses for the upcoming school year, many look for classes that will push them beyond traditional assignments and structured lessons. One option that is coming back to FHC after a one-year hiatus is Advanced Placement (AP) Research, a course known for its independence and advanced workload. Unlike most high school classes that follow a set curriculum, AP Research places students in charge of shaping their own academic experience. 

AP Research is connected to AP Seminar through the AP Capstone program, where students must receive a score of “3” or higher on their AP Research and AP Seminar exams, along with four other AP exams. Jordan George, who currently teaches AP Seminar and will teach AP Research next year, has found that although these classes may be similar, the day-to-day structure is different. 

“AP Research is a class that is similar in some ways to AP Seminar, where students are doing the majority of their own research and a lot of research writing, as well as some public speaking presentations,” George said. “The biggest difference between AP Research and AP [Seminar] is that, first, it’s all individual, and second, that the students are actually taught how to compile data and analyze data, which is why it has a little bit more scientific [material] to it.”

Because students are responsible for shaping their own projects, the earliest stages of the course can often carry the most pressure. Science teacher Kristy Butler taught AP Research before the class’s one-year hiatus, giving her insight into the most common challenges students face. 

“I think the biggest challenge is to actually find a research topic that [the students] are interested in, that is testable, and that is doable,” Butler said. “I think that the hardest part is trying to figure out what [the students] want to do, and if they could come up with a really passable research question to test within a few months.”

Although Butler has guided students through the process, former FHC student Ashley Hibma experienced the course from the other side of the classroom. Having completed AP Research before graduating, Hibma recalls how the early phases of the project shaped her experience in the class. 

“I decided on a general topic [first],” Hibma said. “I knew I wanted to do something with equine sciences, started there, [then] looked into all the different, weird combinations of research I could do. So I started there, did my 50 sources [annotated bibliography], and then we went back into finding an actual gap [in the research, which is] something that hadn’t been done before. Then I had to write a whole paper, and there were a lot of different little assignments that Ms. Butler had me do.”

In addition to student reflections on the course, the educators highlight the qualities that are necessary to succeed in the course. The structure of AP Research demands a high level of motivation because of its more rigorous self-driven style. 

“[AP Research] would be a great class for students who are self-driven and who enjoy a lot of writing, digging deep into research, finding quotes, and finding statistics,” George said. “It would [also] be great for students who are interested in doing this kind of thing in the future, maybe in college, or [for] conducting their own research. The great thing about it is that it’s very self-driven by students, to the point where they get a lot of say in what they end up researching, presenting, and writing about. So students can really dive deep into one topic that they’re really excited about.”

Completion of the final paper and presentation does not represent the full scope of the course. The research skills and sustained analytical writing align directly with college-level academic expectations. 

“I would recommend [AP Research] because not only does it teach you how to research, which is really important in college classes, but it also teaches you how to find something that’s credible,” Hibma said. “Then also, having the strength to write a paper that long, you have to write a lot of really long papers in college, and so muscling through that, you feel like you can do anything after you do, not only the paper, but also the presentation.”

Ultimately, success in the course depends not only on academic ability but also on sustained discipline. Time management remains one of the most critical factors in completing the yearlong project. 

“Do not procrastinate, that’s the biggest thing,” Butler said. “You cannot write a 5000-word paper the night before it’s due, and then you wouldn’t want to prepare a 20-minute presentation the night before it’s happening. So, really hitting those deadlines and getting drafts of your paper is gonna be a lifesaver.”